Marcella White Campbell has resigned as executive director of Be'chol Lashon. (Photo/Julian Voloj-Be'chol Lashon)
Marcella White Campbell has resigned as executive director of Be'chol Lashon. (Photo/Julian Voloj-Be'chol Lashon)

Be’chol Lashon’s executive director resigns after 10 months on job

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Marcella White Campbell resigned as executive director of the Jewish diversity nonprofit Be’chol Lashon on Oct. 29, after just 10 months in the role. Julian Voloj, the organization’s former director of partnerships, is serving as interim director.

White Campbell announced her resignation from the San Francisco-based nonprofit in a Nov. 5 email to friends and colleagues. “I write with excitement and a hint of sadness to let you know that, after seven amazing years on staff, I have left my role as Executive Director of Be’chol Lashon,” she wrote. “I have been grateful for the opportunity to lead Be’chol Lashon through a transitional period in its history, and [am] proud of the internal changes and external initiatives we have launched during this time. I’m excited to see our team of talented and deeply committed Jews of Color and allies continue that momentum.”

She did not give a reason for stepping down. Voloj said Be’chol Lashon would include a statement about the leadership transition in its next newsletter.

White Campbell’s appointment as the first person of color to lead Be’chol Lashon, which advocates for Jews of color, was announced with fanfare on Martin Luther King Jr. Day last January. She succeeded Diane Tobin, who founded the nonprofit in 2000 with her husband, Jewish demographer Gary Tobin. Be’chol Lashon — Hebrew for “in every language” — runs programs celebrating ethnic and racial diversity in the Jewish world, including a summer camp in Northern California geared toward Jewish children of color.

During the past year, White Campbell was front and center representing the organization. She participated in a webinar with ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt about antisemitism and racism, as well as a virtual Kabbalat Shabbat in honor of Juneteenth, the national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. In July, she joined other local, city and state leaders at Congregation Emanu-El to show solidarity with the San Francisco Jewish community following a string of antisemitic incidents in the city.

Prior to becoming Be’chol Lashon’s executive director, she was the director of marketing and communications and helped develop the organization’s “Passport to Peoplehood,” educational resources about Jewish communities around the world. She and her family belong to Or Shalom Jewish Community, and she serves on the S.F. synagogue’s board.

Voloj was born in Germany to Colombian Jewish parents. He previously worked at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Legacy Heritage Fund, JDC and Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, according to his biography on the Be’chol Lashon website. He is also the author of several graphic novels about historical figures, including artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and Superman co-creator Joe Shuster.